Why America Needs Commies... or: ''why your enemy is your friend''
by 66.32.90.200 It's a curious and universal thing... we see clearly what's wrong in the other person, in their thinking and their behavior... we can instantly sense it if there's a split between their words and their deeds and we're quick to call them on it. "You Commies promise social justice and yet you throw dissenters in a Gulag!" "You Christians claim to be a religious people and yet you are judgmental and unforgiving!" and on it goes. Republicans, Democrats, Muslims, whomever you care to name... accusing and counter-accusing, standing there in righteous fury pointing to someone else, blind to the identical error in himself. We nail the other guy on his contradictions, but we look the other way for ourselves or "our people". The other guy knows we're making exceptions to our principles (as we know also) and calls us on it. "No, no, no," we say. "YOU'RE the one doing it." The automatic, untrained response to criticism is always defend, no matter what. The critic may have a point... in fact, always does... but the form in which they ask us to face our deficiency offends us. We see the same thing in the critic. Our pride forbids us from taking advice from someone we see as equally flawed. Deny, deny, deny. The more vehement the denial, the more truth behind it. Understand that all these reservations and denials are fluff and illusion. The pride and bellicose poses are really a mask for fear and the other guy knows it and aims for it. Fear of exposure. Pride in being the one who's right. We don't have an entitlement to be right. We ARE entitled to the privilege and the chance to be corrected continuously in life and this is what so-called "conflict" is all about. When we've all been corrected enough, maybe then we can be right and not get all up in arms when we're challenged. Your Adversary will always present your defects in uncomfortable terms. The discomfort comes from the simple fact that deep inside, ''we also know what's going on and we know there's a kernel of truth in it.'' Your challenge will always be to separate the style, emotion, accusatory tone, etc. from the truth this person presents. ''Take the message, disregard the form.'' The Adversary, whether it's at work, in a relationship, in politics, wherever... is always the bringer of an important truth that we need for our correction, to balance ourselves, to eliminate the flaw. In sports and business, you analyze the other guy for weakness, and you attempt to play through that weakness. Can you imagine a business or a sports team that doesn't go back and review the plays or the competition, and critique itself? Because that's what has just occurred on the field or in the market: you've just been corrected by your opponent, and if you're smart you act on the advice and get better, instead of taking it personally. The Adversary does for you what your "friends" won't do: he tells you the unvarnished truth. Trouble is, he mixes the message with his own pride and ego, just to make it unpalatable and humiliating to accept. Consider yourself fortunate if someone corrects you in a rational, patiently educational manner. The norm is management by exception: why waste an instant acknowledging what's already good... jump on the flaw. Why does it have to be this way? Because we do it ourselves, every time we get a chance. Of course! For example, if America can't get its conservative democracy and justice mixture right, there will be liberals leaping on the flaw. If we're really stubborn about it, the adversary won't be "liberals" anymore, it will be radicals... and things will become much harder than was necessary. You get a chance to take care of it the easy way, or if not, the hard way. Until we all learn to be educated and corrected by our adversary... in politics but more especially close to home... there will always be an uncomfortable bringer of opposing viewpoints, pointing out the contradiction we'd rather pretend wasn't there... challenging us to live up to our verbiage and our promises. This is probably why wise old rabbi Jesus told his students to "take the log out of their own eye before taking the speck out of someone else's eye". The answers as always are hidden in plain sight. __NOEDITSECTION__ Category: Opinions Category: Opinions by User 66.32.90.200 Category: June 27, 2008 Category: June 2008 Category: Opinions From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki. From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki.